For the first time in ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) history, cyber security specialists applied their skills alongside military medicine and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) personnel, recognising that digital resilience is now a critical component of disaster response.
Co-chaired by Cambodia and Australia, the Experts’ Working Group on cyber security delivered a dual-track program during Exercise Trident Resolve.
Within the command post exercise, cyber operators responded to simulated cyber incidents including attacks on information systems, data protection breaches and the spread of false information on social media. At the same time, multinational cyber assessment teams deployed from Mandalika Field to exercise sites across Banten Province to evaluate communications systems, information flows and operational vulnerabilities.
Rather than focusing solely on technical networks, the field teams examined how cyber security influenced decision-making during a crisis.
Lieutenant Chim Chetra, from Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence, said the exercise reinforced the idea that cyber security extended far beyond technology.
“I have learned that cyber security is not just a technical issue. Good communication, clear procedure and fast, accurate information are just as important to protect the people and maintain trust,” Lieutenant Chetra said.
In a real disaster response, inaccurate data or misinformation can delay assistance, disrupt command-and-control systems and place responders at risk. Working from cyber assurance workbooks, assessment teams examined how information moved between exercise sites and the multinational coordination centre.
‘Cyber Security is not just what we used to see before, like cracking a password, hacking a desktop computer or phishing an email. It has become more dangerous.’
Australian co-chair Air Commodore Michael Reidy said the objective was to ensure decision-makers could rely on the information supporting relief efforts.
“If the information is inaccurate and we are sending people to the wrong area, perhaps that area is contaminated and that’s not where we want the rescuers to be. We need to make sure all the information we are dealing with is valid,” he said.
For Air Commodore Reidy, the exercise reflected the growing importance of cyber security throughout humanitarian operations.
“Cyber security can’t just be left to cyber professionals. It’s important that the medical people, the HADR people and the whole community understand that cyber security is a risk in everything we do,” he said.
The exercise also marked the culmination of a three-year co-chairmanship between Australia and Cambodia, which both nations said had evolved well beyond policy discussions.
Major General Kosal Sovanvisal, Cambodian co-chair of the Experts’ Working Group on cyber security, said the partnership had matured into practical cooperation.
“During the cyber security co-chairmanship cycle, the cooperation between Cambodia and Australia has developed tremendously, from just dialogue and knowledge exchange into more practical and hands-on collaboration,” Major General Sovanvisal said.
He said the increasing complexity of emerging technologies reinforced the importance of continued cooperation.
“Cyber Security is not just what we used to see before, like cracking a password, hacking a desktop computer or phishing an email. It has become more dangerous. AI has played an important role in the cyber security world right now because it has turned into something more difficult to figure out and solve,” Major General Sovanvisal said.
For the 19 participating nations, the exercise demonstrated that protecting communities during a crisis now requires more than medical treatment and disaster relief. It also requires trusted information, resilient systems and the ability to work together across domains and borders.
